An apparatus and a method for precision rolling of a surface area of a rotationally symmetrical component by at least two spaced apart rolling tools and a unit for determining the actual blank diameter of the component are known from German Patent Application No. DE 31 10 433 A1 corresponding to British Patent Application No. GB 2 098 901 A The comparison of the actual blank diameter of the component and the desired blank diameter of the component is used as a decision criterion on passing or rejecting a component.
A profile rolling machine for deforming the surface area of rotationally symmetrical components is known from Swiss Patent No. CH 692 385 A5. The known profile rolling machine includes a machine base on which guiding rails for slides are mounted. The slides support rolling tools being designed as rolling heads, and they are movably supported along the guiding rails such that the distance between the rolling tools is adjustable by a relative movement of the slides with respect to one another along the guiding rails. The profile rolling machine further includes a load frame including two adjacent joke plates being arranged at the ends. The load frame is supported on the machine base to be movable in the direction of movement of the slides such that the machine base is decoupled from the load frame such that low rolling forces have to be accepted during deformation of a component. The known profile rolling machine includes a length measuring unit being located at the machine base. The position of the movable slide with respect to the machine base can be measured by the length measuring unit. Furthermore, there is a control unit which corrects the position of the rolling tools with respect to one another in response to possible length extensions of the load frame. Generally, the design of the known profile rolling machine is based on the concept of decoupling the machine base including the length measuring unit from the load frame including the rolling tools in a way that readjustment of the distance between the rolling tools in response to the distance measured between the rolling tools by the length measuring unit during rolling.
A method and an apparatus for finish rolling of smooth rotationally symmetrical components are known from East German Patent No. DD 288 787 A5. A numeric control machine tool includes a tool holder in which a rolling tool subjected to the force of a spring is located. A length measuring unit including electric contacts is connected to the shank of the rolling tool. The length measuring unit is connected to the control of the numeric control machine tool. The rolling force depending on the work piece and on the material of the work piece is adjusted in the desired tolerance range in the length measuring unit under consideration of the spring characteristic of the rolling tool. Deformation of the spring element in the rolling tool during rolling is used as an indirect measure of the occurring rolling force, and it is sensed by the length measuring unit. When the adjusted tolerance range is exceeded, pulses are initiated, the pulses being used to control the rolling force. Thus, it is desired to reach a rolling force which is as constant as possible no matter what the shape of the blank of the component is.